NIST's Proposed Motion Sensing DNA Sequencer (IMAGE)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

NIST's Proposed Motion Sensing DNA Sequencer

Caption

NIST's proposed design for a DNA sequencer based on an electronic motion sensor. A nanoscale ribbon of molybdenum disulfide is suspended over a metal electrode and immersed in water. Single-stranded DNA, containing a chain of bases (bits of genetic code), is threaded through a hole in the ribbon, which flexes only when a DNA base pairs up with and then separates from a complementary base affixed to the hole. The membrane motion is detected as an electrical signal. Numerical simulations and theoretical estimates show the membrane would be 79 to 86 percent accurate in identifying DNA bases in a single measurement at speeds up to about 70 million bases per second.

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NIST

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